Mirage Colony

Wildly prolific over the last dozen years while maintaining lofty quality standards, Seattle electronic musician N Chambers (formerly known as Panabrite) returns with his most adventurous headphone odyssey yet in Mirage Colony. The operative word for this album is mirage, for Chambers' sonic legerdemain induces feelings of phantom aural phenomena, as he immerses you in simulacra of the supernatural zones of deep seas, insectoid intrigue, and avian aural anomalies. Frequently plumbing oceanic depths in the manner of revered composers such as Suzanne Ciani and Sam Spence, Chambers conjures environments of alien wonderment via scrupulously eroded samples and hypnotic loops. Mirage Colony's 12 tracks teem with chromium and watery textures that glimmer amid mysterious atmospheres, as they pulse and glide with the unpredictable stealth of a jellyfish. From the subaquatic gamelan bliss of “Emergent” to the muted, Bernard Herrmann-esque dread of “Bird” to the stealthy, GAS-like techno mantra of “Static” (paradoxically the least static piece here), Mirage Colony takes you on a fascinating journey of intimate immensity. Dave Segal, Seattle, January 2022